If I ever moved out of New York City, my choice for a new locale would be Austin, Texas. It’s a great little town, with excellent bars, friendly and cute women and the Alamo Drafthouse. If I were to list the things that attract me to Austin the most, the Drafthouse would be number one or number two for sure. It’s the greatest movie theater in the world, run by real genuine movie people, and playing an incredible mix of the esoteric and the terrible and the usual suspects of classics. Plus they serve you beer during the films.
The good people at the Alamo, knowing that the rest of the country cries out for such an experience, take their show on the road once a year. The Rolling Roadshow is a movie lover’s dream come true, a trip around the country where films are screened at the locations they were shot at or where they take place. Last year they brought Close Encounters to the Devil’s Tower, and everyone who made that screening will surely never forget it. This year they’re coming to my home turf, for an amazing screening of one of my all-time favorite movies – The Warriors.
The Rolling Roadshow will be coming to Coney Island (the Warriors’ home turf!) to show the movie at Asser Levy Park. But that isn’t all. The Drafthouse has teamed up with Netflix to make this year’s Roadshow bigger and better, and the New York City stop is a prime example.
The movie starts at 8:30, but true Warriors nerds will be showing up at 97th Street and Riverside Park at 1pm – that’s the place where Cyrus calls the massive gang meeting at the beginning of the film. The Drafthouse and Netflix are sponsoring a scavenger hunt through the whole subway system, but to participate you have to show up in gang colors from the movie. It’s a terrific idea, and there are going to be dozens of people dressed as their favorite Warriors gangs dispersing from that park into the City’s subway system and competing for real leather Warriors vests and a chance to have brunch with the actual movie Warriors.
Did I forget to mention that the Warriors will be there? See Mercy, Swan, Cochise, Vermin, Snow, Fox, Cleon and Cowboy at the screening. Seriously, this is a dream come true!
If you want to join the scavenger hunt you will need to send in a picture of your team in their gang colors. Tim League, who’s running this for the Drafthouse, sent me some pictures they’ve already received and people are really getting into the spirit of this event. Of course if you want to just see the movie, it’s a free event, but it is first come, first serve. And there is no seating, so bring your blankets. And bug spray!
There are more incredible Roadshow screenings coming up – Jaws at Martha’s Vineyard, Clerks at the Quick Stop in Leonardo, New Jersey, and the one that I wish I could attend – The Searchers in Monument Valley. I would consider giving head for the airfare for that one. Not only have I always wanted to see Monument Valley, but I consider The Searchers perhaps the greatest movie ever made.
For more information on the screening of The Warriors, how to enter the scavenger hunt, and other stops on the Roadshow tour, click here. I’m definitely coming to this event, and if you’re anywhere near New York City, I don’t see how you can possibly miss out on it.